THE MAD HATTER'S TEA - CLIFTON

What a lovely event! To think that such a gathering is planned and conducted (with all the work and food preparation involved) by just three women - Caroline Baker, the Clifton Librarian from Eddington; Penny Peasley, Clifton Selectwoman; and Mary Bragg, Clifton resident. There were so many delicate tea sandwiches and deserts, not to mention the individual china tea cups and saucers at each place setting. I was told the cups and saucers had been donated to the library at one time by a woman in honor of her mother and the Mad Hatter's Tea is a way to use the beautiful service and bring together community people - some of whom are only here for the summer. What a unique way to continue the memory of a loved one and to share such beautiful items.

The many women who attended were from Clifton and Eddington - and maybe other towns as well. I didn't have the opportunity to ask but I did have the benefit of finding four women who volunteered to be members of a writers' review and critique group. Now that was an additional benefit. And there was discussion of forming a book review group.

We even had the benefit of a very young gentleman from the Butterfield family who was so relaxed by the affair he slept through the entire event in the comforting arms on Caroline who sat in one of the library's wing-backed chairs. That library is such a gem. Even Audrey Fox, Clifton's Administrative Assistant, dropped in to say hello to the group. For me, I appreciated seeing Joan Brooks, Eddington Selectwoman, along with Karen Clark, SAD63 School Board member and a few other women I've come to know. Even more, it was a wonderful opportunity to meet more women in the area, although the event is open to men. I heard tell of the year "Red" Hodgers attended and was the hit of the party.

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I saw "my" red fox yesterday. What a surprise as I drove up the drive from a nearby relative's to the main Road (Route 9) and suddenly there she/he was running across the driveway. Not just red like earlier this Spring but with more black in his tail and darker brown tones in his coat as well. He looked longer, bigger, his legs longer with darker markings - just like those pictures in an English hunt (not that I'd want to see such a thing around here). Perhaps he was out hunting for he had nothing in his jaws at that point. Across the driveway he sprinted and into another relative's back wooded lot heading toward my place. (Wonder if he likes gray squirrels? Hmm. There are plenty to be had at my place I'd be more than willing for him to take care of.) Too big to be from the babies this Spring so it had to be one of the parents. Such a blessing I couldn't help but smile.

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Well, I have to go dig "boulders" out of some "gravel" that was delivered a week ago for a walkway I'm creating at my backsteps. Seems as though there are some rocks in this gravel that are almost as big as the dirt I had dug out of the area in the first place. Thinking ahead to Freeze-Heave, I know those "boulders" have to come out before we can put in some better gravel and then the sand before we can put down the pavers. With west-coast family coming in three weeks, the project has its deadline - rain or no rain. And if it would just warm up and dry up, I might get the dock in. My brothers have theirs in - and both are now underwater! So much for needing any more rain! My dock is at least not under water - It's still on land. But the ground is so soggy, I fear we'd have muddy feet trying to roll it across the lawn and into the water.

Another problem with this wet (and now humid weather) is that we can't get rid of the mosquitoes or black flies. They just LOVE it - doin' their "sexy thing" 24/7. Speaking of which - if you have seen those TV commercials advertising those OFF clip-on blue fan gadgets... the ad shows them being placed on a deck table, too, for driving away mosquitoes - THEY WORK!

I bought three at Hannafords a few weeks ago for the crew that were chipping the stuff in my woods (written in a previous blog). Not a single mosquito bite. And I clip one on my pants when I'm working along the shoreline gardens - or anywhere these days outside what with the rain. (They don't do a thing for Black Flies, though.) But I swear - they really do work to keep mosquitoes away. And they're not expensive and they last a long time. I'm still working with the original batteries and repellent insert.

Well, off to those "boulders" before the showers predicted for later today.